Shakshuka
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Shakshuka: As fun to say as it is to eat! Savor this North African dish of eggs poached in a smoky, spicy tomato sauce—perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Shakshuka (pronounced shak-shoo-kah) is a beloved dish throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and it holds a particularly special place in Israeli cuisine, where it stands alongside falafel and hummus as one of the country’s most-loved dishes. The name “shakshuka” means “mixture” in Arabic. Originally brought to Israel by Jewish immigrants from North Africa, this dish features poached eggs in a smoky, spicy tomato and vegetable sauce. While I stay true to the classic recipe, I enhance it with a splash of heavy cream to balance the tomatoes’ acidity and a sprinkle of crumbled feta for added flavor and richness—these little changes really make all the difference!
Shakshuka is traditionally prepared in a cast iron pan and is simple to make. Begin by simmering the sauce on the stovetop, then gently crack the eggs into little wells in the sauce. Allow the eggs to cook just briefly, then finish everything off under the broiler. It’s a fantastic breakfast-for-dinner option, though it’s wonderful at any time of day. Be sure to serve it with toasted buttered bread—it’s essential for soaking up the delicious sauce and runny yolks.
Table of Contents
“I have lived in Israel, and it is hard to find a better shakshuka than this recipe!”
What You’ll Need To Make Shakshuka
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Used as the base for sautéing onions, garlic, and bell peppers, providing flavor and richness.
- Yellow Onions and Garlic: Fundamental for flavor base; onions add sweetness and garlic adds a pungent depth to the sauce.
- Bell Pepper: Adds sweetness and contributes to the heartiness and texture of the sauce.
- Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Coriander, Red Pepper Flakes: This spice blend imparts warmth, smokiness, and a touch of heat, giving the dish its signature flavor profile.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: The main body of the sauce, providing moisture, acidity, and rich tomato flavor.
- Chopped Greens, such as Swiss Chard, Kale, or Spinach: These add color, texture, and nutritional value, and help mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Heavy Cream: Used to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, adding a creamy richness that complements the eggs.
- Feta Cheese: Adds a tangy, salty element when sprinkled on top.
- Eggs: The centerpiece of the dish, poached directly in the sauce, providing protein and a creamy texture when the yolks are broken.
- Cilantro: Used as a garnish, adding a fresh note that brightens up the dish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by chopping the onions, peppers, and garlic. Be sure not to chop the garlic too finely or it will burn.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and bell pepper.
Cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, until softened.
Add the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1-1/4 teaspoons of the salt, sugar, and tomatoes.
Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
While the sauce cooks, chop the greens.
Add the chopped greens and heavy cream to the sauce, and continue cooking, uncovered, until the greens are soft and wilted, about 10 minutes more.
Turn off (or remove the pan from) the heat. Then, using a spoon, make 6 wells/indentations in the sauce.
Carefully crack an egg into each well, then spoon a bit of the sauce over the egg whites (this will contain them and also help them cook a bit faster than the yolks), being careful not to disturb the yolks. Sprinkle the eggs with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. And then sprinkle the feta around the eggs.
Set the pan on the stove over low heat and cover with a lid. Cook until the egg whites are mostly set but still translucent on top, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and broil until the eggs are cooked to your liking, 1 minute or less for runny yolks. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cilantro over top.
Serve hot with bread.
Video Tutorial
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Shakshuka
Shakshuka: As fun to say as it is to eat! Savor this North African dish of eggs poached in a smoky, spicy tomato sauce—perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions (or 1 medium), peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 bell pepper (red, orange or yellow), diced
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 2 cups finely chopped greens, such as Swiss chard, kale, or spinach, tough ribs removed, gently packed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 6 eggs
- Handful chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and bell pepper and cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, until softened. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
- Add the smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1¼ teaspoons of the salt, sugar, and tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Add the chopped greens and heavy cream to the sauce, and continue cooking, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the greens are soft and wilted, about 10 minutes more. While the greens are cooking, set an oven rack in the top position and preheat the broiler.
- Turn off (or remove the pan from) the heat. Using a spoon, make 6 wells/indentations in the sauce. Carefully crack an egg into each well, then spoon a bit of the sauce over each of the egg whites (this will contain them and also help them cook a bit faster than the yolks), being careful not to disturb the yolks. Sprinkle the eggs with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, then sprinkle the feta around the eggs. Set the pan on the stove over low heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the egg whites are mostly set but still translucent on top (check frequently towards the end as cook time can vary). Remove the lid, transfer the pan to the oven, and broil until the eggs are cooked to your liking, 1 minute or less for runny yolks (see note below on cooking eggs further). Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cilantro over top. Serve hot with bread.
- Note: You can cook the dish entirely on the stovetop for just a few minutes longer (without using the broiler) if you like your egg yolks cooked through. If you like your eggs runny, however, I find that the stovetop-to-broiler method is the only surefire way to cook the egg whites thoroughly without overcooking the yolks.
- Make Ahead: The tomato sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat the sauce on the stovetop and proceed with the recipe when ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 254
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 636 mg
- Cholesterol: 200 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This was so delicious! I wanted to make this when we had guests staying with us but they wanted to go out for breakfast. They don’t know what they were missing!
I made this for dinner last night and it turned out perfectly. I had some leftover and wasn’t sure if it would be good reheated, but it was surprisingly good.
Thanks again for another great recipe!
Jenn,
This was my first venture into cooking your recipes. I would not call myself a great cook, but the flavors in the shakshuka made me feel like a chef! Even my 17 year old daughter thought this was delicious. FYI, the cream adds a lot. Any chance you can come up with more shakshuka recipes? Thank you for this simple, healthy, and outstanding addition to our family dinner options.
Tanya, Salt Lake City
Glad it was a hit! I will keep more shakshuka variations in mind as I develop new recipes. 🙂
I just made this today. I used spinach for my greens. I didn’t have cream, so I used the whole-milk greek yogurt I had. The flavors were delicious! I love the idea of being able to make the sauce ahead of time.
Thanks for pointing this out.
I just made this earlier this week for a quick dinner. I followed the recipe exactly and the flavors were to die for! I did have some trouble getting the egg whites cooked thoroughly without the yolks being overdone. I left it on the stove several minutes longer but the whites were still marginally cooked while the yolks were not quite hard. Will definitely make this again but might leave off the eggs because of the cooking difficulty.
Well, before it was Arab it was from Latin America. Tomatoes are a New World fruit and were not in Europe before 1500. More than likely it came about via Spain and on to the Arabs.
I’m not a fan of smoked paprika. Could I substitute sweet paprika?
Sure!
This is an outstanding egg dish with a lot of flavor and good nutrition besides. It’s satisfying as well as filling. It’d be a wonderful dish to serve guests, because so much is do-ahead. I poach the eggs separately on the stove and add them just before serving.
This dish turned out amazing!!!! I substituted a Habanero instead of Chili flakes.
My one question is I had no cream so I substituted with milk (1/2 cup) and added 1 Tbl flour to thicken. Seemed to work out!!!
All around great dish!
Absolutely love this recipe; I made it for dinner last night. I didn’t have any heavy cream so I subbed whole milk, and I felt like it turned out just as well! It also looks beautiful in a cast iron pan 🙂
I am a subscriber. I usually save your recipes to my disk. Every other month I cook for my widowed sister-in-law and my vegetarian brother and his wife, so I am always on the watch for vegetarian recipes. I make you Shakshuka. It was very good, an unusual surprise dish for everyone to enjoy. I used you recipes without adjustments. Thank you for saving me in my hunt for vegetarian dishes, that I, a meat eater, can also enjoy.